U.S. patent number 5,730,061 [Application Number 08/816,545] was granted by the patent office on 1998-03-24 for automatic conveyor system with damage-free guide rails.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ryko Manufacturing Company. Invention is credited to Frank L. Stufflebeam.
United States Patent |
5,730,061 |
Stufflebeam |
March 24, 1998 |
Automatic conveyor system with damage-free guide rails
Abstract
A guide rail assembly for use with a conveyor of an automatic
conveyor car wash. The guide rail assembly is comprised of a main
guide rail positioned outside the conveyor proximate the wheel
portion of a vehicle, and a lower guide rail extending below and
away from the main guide rail toward the conveyor such that the
lower guide rail contacts the tire below the wheel portion to
maintain a spaced apart relationship between the wheel portion and
the main guide rail. The addition of the lower guide rail prevents
scratching, marring, or any other structural damage to the wheel
portion of the vehicle.
Inventors: |
Stufflebeam; Frank L.
(Johnston, IA) |
Assignee: |
Ryko Manufacturing Company
(Grimes, IA)
|
Family
ID: |
25220920 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/816,545 |
Filed: |
March 13, 1997 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
104/172.3;
198/717; 134/125; 15/DIG.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60S
3/004 (20130101); Y10S 15/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60S
3/00 (20060101); B65G 025/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;104/172.1,172.3,172.5,172.2,242 ;198/717,718,719,725,732,469.1
;134/123,124,125,126,127 ;15/DIG.2,21.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Le; Mark T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Zarley, McKee, Thomte, Voorhees,
& Sease
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A guide rail assembly for a conveyor in an automatic conveyor
car wash having the advantage of protecting a wheel portion
adjacent a tire portion of a vehicle, said guide rail assembly
comprising:
a main guide rail positioned outside said conveyor proximate said
wheel portion; and
a lower guide rail disposed below and away from said main guide
rail toward said conveyor, whereby said lower guide rail contacting
said tire portion below said wheel portion and said lower guide
rail maintaining a spaced apart relationship between said wheel
portion and said main guide rail.
2. The guide rail assembly of claim 1 wherein said lower guide rail
is a pipe.
3. The guide rail assembly of claim 1 further comprising a means
for mounting said main guide rail above said conveyor and a means
for mounting said lower guide rail above said conveyor.
4. The guide rail assembly of claim 3 wherein said means for
mounting said main guide rail and said lower guide rail includes a
guide rail support extending above said conveyor.
5. The guide rail assembly of claim 4 wherein said lower guide rail
is welded to said guide rail support.
6. The guide rail assembly of claim 1 wherein said lower guide rail
is angled away from said conveyor near the entrance of said car
wash.
7. The guide rail assembly of claim 1 wherein said main guide rail
and said lower guide rail being integrally formed.
8. In a guide rail assembly for a conveyor in an automatic conveyor
car wash having the advantage of protecting a wheel portion
adjacent a tire portion of a vehicle, said guide rail assembly
having a main guide rail positioned outside said conveyor proximate
said wheel portion, wherein the improvement comprises:
a lower guide rail disposed below and away from said main guide
rail toward said conveyor, whereby said lower guide rail contacts
said tire portion below said wheel portion and said lower guide
rail maintains a spaced apart relationship between said wheel
portion and said main guide rail.
9. A method of adapting a guide rail assembly for a conveyor in an
automatic conveyor car wash to protect a wheel portion adjacent a
tire portion of a vehicle, said guide rail assembly having a main
guide rail positioned outside said conveyor proximate said wheel
portion, said method comprising:
providing a lower guide rail disposed below and away from said main
guide rail toward said conveyor, whereby said lower guide rail
contacting said tire portion below said wheel portion and said
lower guide rail maintaining a spaced apart relationship between
said wheel portion and said main guide rail.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said lower guide rail is a
pipe.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said lower guide rail is angled
away from said conveyor near the entrance of said car wash.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to an automatic car wash and, in
particular, guide rails for a conveyor in an automatic conveyor car
wash.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of an automatic conveyor car wash is well known. Such
automatic car wash systems use a conveyor to move the vehicle
through the car wash. Normally, the driver-side tires of the
vehicle are directed onto the conveyor, which in turn, using a
prior art conveyor system, either pulls or pushes the vehicle
through the car wash as desired. It is important that the automatic
car wash clean the vehicle without the conveyor system scratching,
marring or causing any other structural damage to the wheels of the
vehicle.
Although prior art automatic conveyor car wash systems have many
desirable features, they also suffer from a significant problem.
Guide rails are typically used, one on each side of the conveyor,
to aid the driver in aligning the tires of the vehicle with the
conveyor. The guide rails also ensure that the tires remain on the
conveyor over the length of the car wash. Prior art guide rail
assemblies present problems for hubcaps and other decorative wheel
coverings. One guide rail is positioned along the outside edge of
the conveyor sufficiently high above the conveyor so that the guide
rail contacts the wheel portion of many vehicles, including any
hubcap or other decorative wheel covering, thereby scratching,
marring, or causing other structural damage to the wheel (see FIG.
3). The guide rail must be positioned at such a height to prevent
tires, especially large truck tires, from jumping out of the
conveyor. Thus, there is a need in the art for a guide rail
assembly for an automatic conveyor car wash system that restricts
the tires of the vehicle to the conveyor without causing structural
damage to the wheel portion of the vehicle.
It is therefore the primary objective of the present invention to
provide a guide rail assembly that improves upon or solves the
problems and deficiencies existing in the art.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a guide
rail assembly that does not damage the wheel portion of the
vehicle, including any hubcap or other decorative wheel covering,
while ensuring that the tires of the vehicle remain on the
conveyor.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method
for adapting the guide rail assembly of an automatic conveyor car
wash to restrict the tires of the vehicle to the conveyor without
causing damage to the wheel portion.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an
improved rail assembly for an automatic conveyor car wash which is
efficient in operation, economical to manufacture, and durable in
use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing objectives are achieved in a preferred embodiment of
the invention by a guide rail assembly for a conveyor in an
automatic conveyor car wash having a main guide rail positioned
outside the conveyor proximate the wheel portion of the vehicle,
and a lower guide rail disposed below and away from the main guide
rail toward the conveyor. The lower guide rail is positioned such
that it contacts the tire below the wheel portion and maintains a
spaced apart relationship between the wheel portion and the main
guide rail. As such, the lower guide rail effectively confines the
tires to the conveyor without causing damage to the wheel portion,
including any hubcap or other decorative wheel covering.
In its preferred form, the lower guide rail is angled away from the
conveyor near the entrance of the automatic car wash. Angling the
lower guide rail helps guide the tires of the vehicle into the
correct position on the conveyor.
A method of adapting a prior art guide rail assembly comprising a
main guide rail positioned proximate the wheel portion of the
vehicle is also provided. The guide rail assembly is adapted by
providing a lower guide rail which extends below and away from the
main guide rail toward the conveyor such that the lower guide rail
contacts the tire of the vehicle below the wheel portion to
maintain a spaced apart relationship between the wheel portion and
the main guide rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle approaching the guide
rail assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing
the alignment of the guide rail assembly of the present invention
about the conveyor.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of a prior art guide
rail assembly.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the contact
between a vehicle tire and the guide rail assembly of the present
invention.
FIG. 5 is a top view of the guide rail assembly of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described as it applies to its
preferred embodiment. It is not intended that the present invention
be limited to the described embodiment. It is intended that the
invention cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents
within the spirit and broad scope of the invention.
With continuing reference to the drawings, a conveyor 10 of an
automatic conveyor car wash system is used to direct and move a
vehicle 12 through the car wash. FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 12
approaching the conveyor 10 of an automatic conveyor car wash. The
vehicle 12 includes driver-side tires 14 and passenger-side tires
16. Each tire (14,16) includes a wheel portion 18 and an adjacent
tire surface 20. The wheel portion 18 is defined to include the
wheel, wheel rim, hub cap, or other decorative wheel covering.
Upon entering the automatic conveyor car wash, the vehicle 12 first
approaches a correlator section 22. This correlator section 22 aids
the driver in correctly positioning the driver-side tires 14 of the
vehicle 12 on the conveyor 10. Correlator guide rails 24 and
support rails 26 rotate axially towards the center of the conveyor
10 to correctly align the driver-side tires 14 of the vehicle
12.
After passing the correlator section 22, a guide rail assembly 28
helps to ensure that the driver-side tires 14 of the vehicle 12
remain on the conveyor 10. As shown in FIG. 2, a main guide rail 30
is positioned above and outside of the conveyor 10 proximate the
wheel portion 18 of the vehicle 12. An interior guide rail 32 is
also provided on the opposite side of the conveyor 10.
As best shown in FIG. 3, the main guide rail 30 is positioned at
such a height that it often contacts the wheel portion 18 on many
vehicles. The main guide rail 30 must be positioned sufficiently
high to prevent the drive-side tires 14 from jumping out of the
conveyor, which is particularly problematic in the first 15 to 20
feet of the conveyor 10. This contact between the main guide rail
30 and the wheel portion 18 can result in scratching, marring, and
other structural damage to the wheel portion 18.
The present invention also includes a lower guide rail 34 which is
positioned below the main guide rail 30 and extends away from the
main guide rail 30 and towards the conveyor 10. As best shown in
FIG. 4, the lower guide rail 34 is positioned beneath the main
guide rail 30 and towards the conveyor 10 such that the lower guide
rail 34 contacts the tire portion 20, not the wheel portion 18. In
addition, the lower guide rail 34 maintains a spaced apart
relationship between the wheel portion 18 and the main guide rail
30, thereby preventing any structural damage to the wheel portion
18.
The conveyor 10 is supported by side supporting members 36 and 38.
A conveyor system (not shown) is housed between the side supporting
members (36,38) and is responsible for pushing or pulling the
vehicle 12 through the car wash.
The main guide rail 30 is typically a metal pipe. It is preferred
that the lower guide rail 34 also be a metal pipe. However, it is
not essential that the guide rails be metal pipes. Other materials
can be used. The guide rails can also be different profiles, either
extruded or formed. Both the main guide rail 30 and the lower guide
rail 34 are mounted to a guide rail support 40 attached to the side
support member 36. The main guide rail 30 and lower guide rail 34
can be welded to or fastened to the guide rail support 40 using any
conventional means. Similarly, the interior guide rail 32 is
mounted on a guide rail support 42 attached to a side support
member 38.
In its preferred form, the lower guide rail 34 is formed from a one
inch ID pipe that is angled away from the conveyor 10 near its
first end 44 and second end 46. Angling the lower guide rail 34
away from the conveyor 10 near its first end 44 is particularly
important, as it helps guide the tires 14 of the vehicle 12 into a
correct position upon entry into the conveyor 10.
It is normally only necessary to use a lower guide rail 34 along
the first 15 to 20 feet of the conveyor 10. It is over this portion
of the car wash that the driver is most apt to have control of the
vehicle and steer the tires 14 against the main guide rail 30.
Adapting a prior art guide rail assembly to practice the present
invention is a facile operation. Simply mount the lower guide rail
34 to the guide rail support 36 below the main guide rail 30 and
towards the conveyor 10. It is important that the lower guide rail
34 is positioned towards the conveyor 10 such that the lower guide
rail 34 contacts the tire portion 20 beneath the wheel portion 18
of vehicle 12. In addition, the lower guide rail 34 must maintain a
spaced apart relationship between the wheel portion 18 and the main
guide rail 30.
It can therefore be seen that the invention accomplishes at least
all of its stated objectives.
* * * * *